Principal

Matt Sherman is a foreign affairs analyst and lawyer who has served as a senior advisor to the State Department, the U.S. military and international and domestic corporations. He specializes in the political economy and commercial markets of the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, providing cogent analysis of the regional political environment and identifying risks and opportunities for foreign investors. The insights he brings allow for a unique understanding of the interplay between politics and economics in these parts of the world and are grounded in his extensive operational experience.

Matt recently completed a 27-month tour in Afghanistan with the Department of State. In 2010 and 2011 he was a member of General Stanley McChrystal's and subsequently General David Petraeus's Strategic Advisory Group. In 2009, Matt was the Senior Civilian Representative in Logar and Wardak provinces. Matt was presented the Department of State Award for Heroism by Secretary Hillary Clinton in November 2009 for assisting in the rescue of wounded American soldiers following an ambush in Afghanistan; only the second time the Award was given to a Foreign Service member.

Matt also served two extended tours in Iraq. In 2003 - 2006, under the Coalition Provisional Authority and later the Department of State, he was the personal advisor to four Iraqi Ministers of Interior and advised senior Iraqi and Coalition personnel on non-military security matters. From 2006 to 2007 Matt worked as the Political Advisor to the First Cavalry Division, the military unit in charge of operations in Baghdad during the planning and implementation of the "surge".

When not assigned overseas, he is a Principal of SCI Consulting, a Senior Advisor to the Scowcroft Group, and an Adjunct with the RAND Corporation. Earlier, in a private capacity, Matt worked as Director of Research for General Colin Powell (Ret.) and his non-profit organization, America's Promise. Trained as an attorney, Matt practiced corporate law for the firm Drinker Biddle & Reath.

He received his B.A and J.D. from the University of North Carolina, and an M.Phil. in International Relations from Cambridge University. As a Fulbright Scholar, he worked with the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs on US - Australian trade regulations. Previous international assignments include appointments with the OSCE in Bosnia, Kosovo, Croatia, Montenegro, Ukraine, and Moldova as an election security planner and international monitor.

Matt is a contributor to the Opinion page of The New York Times and The Washington Post; and provides foreign affairs' analysis to the News Hour with Jim Lehrer, ABC's World News Tonight, and PBS Frontline, among others. A keen amateur photographer, Matt's works have been displayed in the Guggenheim Museum and Guns n' Ammo magazine. He lives in New York City and Hendersonville, NC.

Email: matt@shermanci.com